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THE BIRTH OF THE AMERICAN ANTHEM:
In 1812 America and England were at war with one another and the English took an American man as prisoner on one of their ships. This prisoners name was Doctor Beanes. Two men named Francis Scott Key and Colonel John Skinner set out for the English ship where Doctor William Beanes was, in hopes of rescuing their American friend. Once the two arrived at the ship both men pleaded with the English admiral to set Beanes free. The English admiral told the two men that he would let them all go, but not until the war was over.
A picture of the battle at Fort McHenry A picture of the flag that was at Fort McHenry
The English attacked the Americans at Fort McHenry in the Baltimore Harbor. As the war began the three Americans watched attentively from the English ship. Then they noticed, located at Fort McHenry, a bright flag of the colors: Red, White, and Blue. The flag was huge, with a size of thirty by forty-two feet .
Francis Scott Key watched as the battle proceeded and thought that there was no hope. Key watched the flag all night to make sure that it had not disappeared because if the flag was lowered Key knew that America would have lost the battle and the English would have taken victory. Soon, it was so dark that the flag could not be seen and all that was acknowledgeable were the sounds of the rockets firing and the bright flashes of fire in the sky. The three Americans on the ship stayed awake all night through all of the bright chaos. Then, late that night the loud noise came to an end and the smoke in the air slowly settled. When the sun began to rise their sights turned to Fort McHenry. The smoke cleared for a moment and to their surprise the amazing flag was still soaring in the air over Fort McHenry. Even though the flag had suffered some scars through the battle it still waved in the air with American pride. The three men knew that the Americans had not lost the war, but won. At that instant, Key decided to write down the great feeling he had of the American victory that night. Key sat on the ship and wrote these words:
Oh say can you see, by the dawns early light,
What so proudly we hailed by the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
O say, does that Star-Spangled Banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?
While writing this Key thought of the flag soaring the evening before the war, the long night the men endured, and the American victory. The English admiral kept his word and let the three men head back to Baltimore after the battle had ended. After Key returned back he wrote down the last three verses of the Anthem. In the book, "Our National Anthem", Nicholas Georgiady states that the other verses of the Anthem "describe Keys feelings about our flag and our country." (Georgiady 22) The words to the other three verses are:
On the
shore dimly seen thro' the mists of the deep,
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected, now shines on the stream:
'T is the star-spangled banner: O, long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!
And
where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion
A home and a country should leave us no more?
Their blood has wash'd out their foul footsteps' pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.
O, thus
be it ever when freemen shall stand,
Between their lov'd homes and the war's desolation;
Blest with vict'ry and peace, may the heav'n-rescued land
Praise the Pow'r that hath made and preserv'd us as a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust"
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!
FORT McHENRY:
Fort McHenry's history was initiated during the Re volutionary War in 1776. The fort was a good location to provide protection without endangering the city close by, and was surrounded mostly by water. This location meant that any enemy ships coming to Baltimore had to pass the Fort, so it was a great strategic location. After the war ended, the Fort went underwent improvement with the help of James McHenry, who at the time was the secretary of war. The fort gained recognition during the war of 1812, when the British attacked it. After twenty five hours of constant bombardment, the fort was still standing and the city of Baltimore was spared. This scene is what led Francis Scott Key to write our national anthem we sing today. Since the War of 1812, the fort has went through many stages. From an army station for troops, to a city park, and finally to a national park in 1933. Today it is a national monument, and is the nations only historic shrine.
FRANCIS SCOTT KEY:
Francis Scott Key was born on August 1, 1779 in western Maryland. In 1805 Key established a law practice in Georgetown and by 1814 Key had appeared before the U.S. Supreme Court on many occasions. Francis Scott Key also took part in the Episcopal church. Then, In August of 1814, One of Keys' friends Doctor Beanes was taken prisoner on the British ship during the battle at Fort McHenry. Francis Scott Key successfully rescued Beanes and wrote the Star Spangled Banner after the long battle was won by the Americans. Below is a picture of the patriotic Francis Scott Key. One interesting fact about Key is that during the Battle of Bladensburg, Key assigned field positions to American troops, which was something he did not know how to do. Sadly, Francis Scott Key died on January 11, 1843. For more information on Francis S. Key, there are more links at the top of this web page.
PICTURES OF FRANCIS SCOTT KEY:
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE AMERICAN ANTHEM:
The American Anthem is important because it represents America's sense of patriotism, and also reminds us of the victories that helped shape our patriotism. When we sing the American Anthem we are expressing our patriotism and showing how grateful we are that our nation has remained unified.
I put together a survey and asked some students at the University of Texas at Austin what they thought that the American Anthem meant to them, and why they thought that we only sung the first verse. Most students said that the American Anthem was a way of showing how proud they are to be an American. Some also stated that the American Anthem reminds them of the how much the country has went through, but how it has remained unified and has become stronger over the years. Some people said that we sing only the first verse because it is the most important verse, and also because the rest of the song is so long. I feel that all four verses are important and even though we do not sing all of them, we should still be familiar with them. This is because the song as a whole explains what happened at Fort McHenry and not just the first verse.
MORE PICTURES FROM WORKS CITED:
Pictures From the Book Our National Anthem:
A Picture of Key, Skinner, and Beanes on the English Ship
A Picture of Key and Skinner Pleading With the English Admiral
A Picture of The English Ship Near Fort McHenry
A Picture of Key, Skinner, and Beanes Pleased to See the Flag
Pictures From the Book The National Star Spangled Banner Centennial:
A Picture of Francis Scott Key
A Picture of The Key Monuments
WORKS CITED:
Georgiady, Nicholas, and Louis Romano. Our National Anthem. Chicago: Follett Publishing Company, 1963. Gives an overview of the war and reasons and ways we use the national anthem.
